The results are in!

 Life, Off Topic  2 Responses »
Oct 302006
 

And they’re not encouraging, at least not from my stand point.

Of 40 votes cast (which is another disappointment), in the poll I posted on October 20, 2006, 25 people believe health care should be treated as a commodity, and only distributed to those who can pay.

The results would be even more disheartening, if I truly thought they were representative of US society as a whole. I don’t believe that to be the case.

I refuse to accept that anyone, with the exception of maybe Rush Limbaugh, who thinks Michael J. Fox is faking his disease, and maybe a few others, has so little compassion for their fellow man, and is so self centered, they would put health care on the same plain as purchasing a car.

Of course when you combine this with the fact that daylight savings time is over, and winter is upon us, the Steelers lost to the Oakland Raiders, and Mercury is in retrograde, it can be a little discouraging!

 Posted by at 12:53 pm

Another redesign!

 Life  1 Response »
Oct 272006
 

I know, you’re probably wondering what has gotten into me. Why can’t he just make up his mind already?

Well, I don’t know. I got tired of the theme before the last one, and I really didn’t like the previous theme (too much green), so I decided it was time for a change. It’s a winter thing. They actually have a name for it, Seasonal Affected Disorder. SAD for short.

But I think I like this one. I do have some more work to do, to get it looking perfect, but I think this may just be a keeper, and besides, it’s very close to my high school colors, maroon and gray.

Maybe it is true, the older you get, the more nostalgic you get, and hopefully I won’t get bored of this one.

Comments or suggestions on improving the design are welcome!

 Posted by at 4:48 pm

Why I hate winter

 Life, Off Topic  1 Response »
Oct 242006
 

Besides the fact that the days are shorter, the temperatures cooler, I can’t (don’t) ride my bike, or play golf as much as I might like, it seems all my frustrations and disappointments get accentuated this time of year.

Dealing with customers at work becomes increasingly more difficult, not to mention the fact that it’s dark when I drive to work in the morning, and dark for the drive home. Even this morning, a simple thing like no water in the Sparklets water fountain, when I went to fill my tea pot, seemed to take on added significance. And even worse, I lost one advertiser on my blog.

But my biggest disappointment has been with the poll I have been conducting on this website and three others. But I’m not sure which is more disappointing, the fact that only 26 people have voted, or the fact that 16 of those who did vote, think health care should be treated like any other commodity, and distributed according to the ability to pay.

Where’s the compassion?

Why does the US treat health care like a commodity, distributed according to the ability to pay, while the rest of the industrialized world treats health care like a social service, providing at least a basic level of care to all their citizens, assuring no one has to endure long waits in ER’s, be treated with a lack of respect, or go bankrupt or lose their life savings simply because they have the misfortune of getting sick?

 Posted by at 11:47 am

Health care – Commodity or social service?

 Health Care, Off Topic  1 Response »
Oct 202006
 

There has been an interesting discussion, even a little heated at one point, over at InsureBlog which started out discussing a recent poll conducted by ABC News, USA Today and the Kaiser Family Foundation purported to show that in general people in the US were very satisfied with their health care.

The discussion soon digressed into comparing the purchase of health care/insurance to the purchase of groceries, auto insurance, loans and a few other analogies. I didn’t think the analogies were appropriate (actually I called them stupid, which is what created some animosity), but it seemed everyone else thought they were good analogies.

I believe, like every other industrialized country in the world believes, health care is not a

commodity distributed according to the ability to pay

rather it is a

social service distributed according to medical need.

Unlike the ability to get a loan or buy gasoline or a car, we don’t have nearly as much control over our health. Even when you lead a totally healthy life style, you can still get sick. Plus not having the ability to seek medical attention when it is needed, can create far more serious consequences for society as a whole, than not having the ability to purchase a car, or getting a home loan.

Having originally questioned the demographics of those polled, since the results of the poll are very believable if you ask only healthy people, I thought I would try and conduct my own informal poll to see how everyone who reads my blog feels about the state of health care in the US.

Should health care be treated as a commodity distributed according to the ability to pay, or a social service distributed according to medical need?

Click Here To Vote and View Results!

NOTE FROM AUTHOR: I apologize in advance for any pop-ups you may experience when trying to vote. It is the inevitable consequence of using a free service that would otherwise have a fee attached.

 Posted by at 8:17 am

Met my new oncologist

 Diagnosis, My MCL  No Responses »
Oct 192006
 

She was very personable and forthcoming. Not sure how much that had to do with the fact that Jackie (her nurse) likes me, but she did make it a point to let me know that Jackie was glad I was now under both their wings.

Not sure how much she knows about MCL in particular either, but I will help as needed with her training. At least she did take the time to read my file, and even perused much of the literature I had provided my first two (actually three if you count the Fellow, who initially diagnosed my MCL) hematologists.

We talked about the diagnosis, plus a number of other things both related and unrelated to my MCL, and then she proceeded to give the obligatory physical exam, looking for enlarged lymphnodes, and other signs of disease advancement.

At the end, I asked a question regarding new tests to see if my MCL had evolved in the 4+ years since my diagnosis. I got the pat answer, which was since nothing is likely to change, as far as treatment plans go, she didn’t think it was necessary.

I should have responded that depending on what the cytogenetic tests showed, that might actually indicate a change in treatment plans. But the more likely scenario is, based on the way I feel now, I don’t think I would change my mind regardless, so I let it go.

I think the monthly blood work will point out any significant changes, which might indicate a deterioration in my health, in plenty of time to decide on a different plan of action, and I can bring it up again.

Anywaze, the first impression was good, and I go back in two months.

 Posted by at 10:34 am

Finally! A good nights sleep

 Life  2 Responses »
Oct 152006
 

I managed to sleep until 6:50 AM. I know, to some, that may sound early, but for me it’s late. In fact it’s barely enough time to make and eat breakfast (actually Edie makes breakfast), before I have to start getting ready, to meet some friends, for my morning bike ride at 7:30 AM. As it was, I didn’t even have enough time to finish my morning tea.

Anywaze, hopefully this means I have finally recovered from my trip to Italy. Things can only get better from now.

Now if only I could manage to stop or put a hold on the approach of my least favorite time of the year (winter, and the end of daylight savings time), I could really start celebrating.

 Posted by at 12:23 pm
 Older Entries